Thomas received a Royal grant from England for more than 600 acres of land in the Alley section in 1637. Here he built a one story stone house, having one window with wooden shutters. The attic was provided with a trap door to be shut off after the ladder had been pulled up, whenever a retreat from Indians became imperative. There was a hallway between the kitchen and the dining room which had no window. It was completely dark when both doors were shut. In 1663 he built a larger house adjoining the little stone house. This was on the East side of the road running from Alley Pond (just west of the shopping center at Douglaston Pkwy. & 61st Ave.) up to East Hill. Seven generations of Foster family occupied this house. During the Revolutionary War, Hessian soldiers ransaked the little stone house and hung old Mr. Foster on a tree which stood between the house and the pond. He was rescued but never fully recovered from the shock.